


Happiness

by platinumtrickster



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, Post-Splatoon 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25011715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/platinumtrickster/pseuds/platinumtrickster
Summary: Cap’n Cuttlefish and the Squid Sisters must sneak DJ Octavio through Inkopolis without anyone becoming suspicious.  What will the DJ’s first time in Inkopolis be like?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older work I wrote back in 2018 and decided to upload now.
> 
> I was chatting with a friend of mine about DJ Octavio being redeemed if the Octarians and Inklings teamed up to fight Salmonids, and got super inspired out of the blue to write a quick fic. This fic is based on the idea that Salmonids start overrunning the land and everyone has to band together to take care of it– of which the Squidbeak Splatoon is already aware. They decide that with all of DJ Octavio’s octopower that they need to ally themselves with him, even if he is not the most trustworthy, because he has a lot to lose here too. I thought it would be fun to do a quick one-shot on the idea.
> 
> I decided not to do DJ Octavio’s Kewl Hip Kid Slang since he is literally at least 100 years old and honestly, I don’t dig it. With that all out of the way, enjoy.

It was late night in Inkopolis City, yet the booming sound of the big screen atop Deca Tower could still be heard from all parts of the city. Octavio growled quietly to himself, each loud sound reverberating through his entire body. Each tentacle shook unwillingly and his head throbbed. He hated this place. He hated this place and he had only just set tentacles in it for the first time.

This is what the Inklings fought for, huh? This massive, overgrown city that never slept? How could anyone sleep? Yet Cuttlefish and those girls seemed completely unaffected by it all. Guh. Maybe he didn’t want to overtake Inkopolis and the Inkling race. They could have their pathetic little city. It was ugly and obnoxious and didn’t matter at all.

Even if it had been dead quiet, there wouldn’t be anything to hear anyways. Octavio wasn’t going to talk, and those girls wouldn’t talk to him, and Cuttlefish… well, he was their running commentary for the evening, but Octavio tried his best to stay just far enough from him that he couldn’t make out any ramblings of the old, senile squid.

Why did he have to lose again? He thought that without a precious half of the Squid Sisters, he could at least make the Octarians happy for a little while. But no. They couldn’t have nice things. Damn Cuttlefish– no, it wasn’t even Cuttlefish– but his damned spawn that took him out. That whole family needed to be caged.

But they had to be friends now. Or allies, as Cuttlefish put it. It was the only reason they decided to let him out of that horrible little snow globe. The Salmonids were beginning to overrun even the deepest crevasses of Octo Valley and that was bad, bad, bad. Bad for everyone, Octarian or Inkling or anything else in between. So he would play nice for now, and when he could, he’d escape again with his army and hole himself up in Cephalopod HQ for a while until the heat died down.

This was his only chance to be free and to return to his people. Of course he had to do it. They were lost without him. These Inklings would never know the pain that Octavio felt, or that every Octarian felt. The feeling of crushing disappointment that their life would never be as good as an Inkling’s.

Look at all of them, Octavio thought with hatred, shooting hateful glares at the kids hanging out in the arcade they passed by. They don’t even know what’s about to hit them. They don’t have a care in the world and I’m stuck here, sneaking through dirty alleys with an old coot and his annoying grandkids.

For a second, Octavio thought he saw the flash of an Octoling tentacle, but the Squidbeak crew had pushed on before he could get a closer look. Octavio and the crew passed close to a busy street. Each street got busier and busier as they neared the center of Inkopolis. He could hear kids giggling and chatting about nothing– but wait, was that Octarian slang he heard…?

“Octavio.”

Octavio snapped back to reality. He was suddenly aware that the green girl– her name was Mary or Marie or something, right?– was speaking to him. “What do you want?”

“We’re almost to Inkopolis Square. Grampa wants to get a snack before we keep going…”

“So? What about me, then?”

“I’ve got the greatest idea!” roared Cap’n Cuttlefish. “A disguise!”

“No.”

No way. He was already a side show for Cuttlefish and his crew of freaks, there’s no way they were going to dress him up and– good goby, he looked ridiculous. How did he agree to let this happen?

Octavio stared at his disguise in the reflection of a window. His tentacles were hidden beneath an ugly sweater, all purple and yellow and green and itchy and horrible, and they had given him a football helmet (this was considered fresh in Inkopolis?) to cover his face. He looked stupid. So, so, so stupid. He looked like… well, an octopus in a terrible disguise.

But… he was hungry too, actually, so he was going to have to deal with it.

“Make this quick,” Octavio hissed in Cuttlefish’s ear as he stood in front of the Crust Bucket food truck.

Cuttlefish scratched at his beard in deep thought. “Hmm… can I get a, uhhh… ooh, how about a deep-fried super schwaffle? And my one grandsquid wants a Mark-Shaker Cocoa, and the other wants a Short-Respawn Mocha, and– eh, DJ, what do you want?”

Octavio crossed his tentacles, his sweater bulging suspiciously. “…I want a Seanwich.”

“O-kay! And one Seanwich for my friend here!”

Octavio rolled his eyes and turned to get a good look at Inkopolis Square. It was decorated with various colors of Inkling, even at this time of night. There were all too many varieties to count; some with short tentacles, some with long ones, some in a ponytail, some with suckers on the top of their tentacles– wait.

Was that an Octoling? Across the way from the food truck was a girl. Her hair was unmistakable and so were her eyes and everything else. How did an Octoling get here? And she was talking to an Inkling, too… did they not know? How could they not know? And there– another one! A boy one, too! Those weren’t all too common nowadays, but he was recognizable to Octavio in an instant. They all were. They were all his people, every single one. And the more he looked, the more he saw. They were everywhere. They were all over the place and they looked as if they belonged here, just like any other sea creature,

“No…” Octavio mumbled.

“Eh? What was that?”

“Nothing. Just mumbling to myself.”

Cuttlefish nodded knowingly, as if he was in on the secret too. Octavio studied his face closely, but he couldn’t figure out this old squid, no matter how hard he tried. Maybe that’s why he’d lost in battle against him all that time ago…

More importantly, the food was ready and he was, admittedly, starving. Octavio didn’t get a chance to eat much of anything aside from what gross slop Cuttlefish served up for himself and his opponent. The Seanwich, on the other hand, looked really, really good, and so while Octavio still accepted the basket of food with reluctance, it was all for show.

Cuttlefish and Octavio met up with Callie and Marie in an obscure corner of the square, away from most prying eyes. Those girls were celebrities, after all. Inklings would swarm all over them like Salmonids to glowflies if they weren’t careful, and the last thing anyone needed right now was attention.

“Oh boy! I can’t wait to eat! I haven’t eaten since we left Octo Valley!”

The pink girl– Callie– laughed. “Grampa, that was only a couple hours ago!”

Octavio grunted and dug into his Seanwich. It was good. It was really good. And just the right amount of spicy he liked, too. He tried not to shovel the entire thing down, but… that was so hard and this was so delicious. In a flash, the big screen upon the Deca Tower lit up with the words “Off the Hook” scrawled across the screen.

“Y’all know what time it is!”

“It’s Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!”

Octavio’s eyes widened.

No.

No, it couldn’t be.

Could it?

Was that… Marina Ida? It had to be. Those brown and green tentacles were her trademark feature. It was strange, but just like those other Octolings, she looked so different. She looked… happy. Octavio had seen her smile before, of course. She smiled when she was made a combat engineer. She smiled every time he praised her for making the gear he wanted.

But this was different. She wasn’t just smiling, she was happy. Octavio couldn’t explain it, but there was a difference in the Marina Ida he had known and the Marina Ida that was up on the big screen beside a tiny little pink Inkling. She didn’t seem worried about anything. Just like those Inklings, she didn’t have anything to worry about, as far as she knew. And neither did those other Octolings he saw… they all seemed at peace. Was this the life they wanted? Life among Inklings as friends, as partners, as friendly opponents?

Octavio’s tentacles gripped his basket of food tightly. He dragged his eyes away from the screen and forced himself to look at the ground. This was too much, all too much… he needed to get away and think, but he couldn’t. He was still stuck with the Squidbeak Splatoon.

Cap’n Cuttlefish broke through Octavio’s deep thought. “So, what do you think about Inkopolis, eh? I love them Off the Hook girls. Not my style of music , I prefer the Squid Sisters myself–” Cuttlefish paused to nudge both grandkids, who sat on either side of him– “but I recently met them and they just–”

Octavio drowned him out with his own words. “They’re… happy.”

“Eh? What’s that, Octavio?”

“They’re so… happy here.”

The expressions of the three squids across the table from Octavio changed to confusion. Callie spoke next. “Who’s happy? The Off the Hook girls?”

Octavio shook his head. “No!” He slammed his tentacles onto the table. Everyone’s food and drinks bounced and spilled everywhere. Octavio’s sweater was soiled by the toppings of his own Seanwich. “The Octolings! Can’t you see them?! They’re everywhere!”

The look of understanding finally dawned upon Cap’n Cuttlefish’s face. He grinned at Octavio and raised his hand as if to indicate that he needed to calm down. “Oh, you mean those Octo kids? Sure! They’ve been appearin’ all over the place over the past few months! I think something big must of happened. You know, I met some pretty amazing Octolings around the same time on the Deepsea Metro! Now, you and I might be enemies, but I don’t see species! If they love Inkopolis and the Squid Sisters and everything else, then let ‘em come and let ‘em have a good time!”

Octavio snarled and slammed his tentacles onto the metal table again, harder this time. The loud smashing sound could be heard throughout the entire square. “Gyahh! How can you say that? You were there in that war, just like me! Octarians and Inklings are enemies! Every single one! It’s been like that since the war, and it will always be like that, you understand me?!”

“But how can you say that?” Callie cut in. She looked all too disturbed by Octavio’s outburst, far more than the other two squids. “It happened a hundred years ago, right? Can’t things change for the better? And why shouldn’t we be able to live in peace?”

Marie chimed in. “Yeah. Like we need anymore Octarian and Inkling battle outbreaks. We don’t have problems with you if you don’t have any with us.”

Octavio didn’t immediately reply. He stared hard into Cuttlefish’s beady eyes but found he couldn’t keep eye contact and looked away. There was dead silence at the table. Nothing but everyone’s breathing could be heard, and suddenly, Inkopolis felt too quiet for Octavio’s comfort.

“You just don’t get it, do you? You don’t know what it’s like to be an Octarian. You Inklings will never know. That war changed everything for me and my species. Things can never go back to the way they once were– peace among us two species? Bah! It’s impossible.”

For once, Cap’n Cuttlefish appeared to be in deep thought. “Well… you’re right about that, Octavio, that things won’t be the same, but… well, what’s the point in keepin’ everything the same? Do you just want to stay bitter? Do you want the Octolings to be miserable? Now, I don’t know–”

That was it. That was it. Octavio had had enough. It was all so easy for Cuttlefish, wasn’t it? Well, Octavio was going to make this hard for him now. He launched himself over the table and tackled Cuttlefish. The old squid shouted in alarm. Food flew every which way as Callie and Marie jumped to their feet. They watched as the two wrestled on the ground.

Marie glanced at Callie. “Come on. We need to distract everyone from here. Best let these old guys sort this out. I don’t think grampa needs our help.”

Callie nodded and the two disappeared from sight. However, Octavio caught the shouted words, “WORLD-FAMOUS SQUID SISTERS” and suddenly realized that no one was watching them fight. Good. No one should see him lose. He was getting tired and fast, but as was Cuttlefish. The two paused, their breathing ragged, before Cuttlefish finally pushed Octavio off of him.

Octavio and Cuttlefish lay there, eyes to the sky, on their backs. As he laid there, staring up at the bright lights of Inkopolis and the dark sky above, Octavio mumbled, “I’m getting too old for this.”

“I hate to admit it, but me too,” Cuttlefish replied between breaths.

Octavio sighed a deep, heavy sigh. “Why are they so happy here? I did everything I could for them.”

Cuttlefish turned his head towards his opponent. Octavio looked to Cuttlefish in response. “Who– the Octolings?” The octopus grunted in affirmation. “Oh, it ain’t your fault, Octavio. The Octarians were stuck with dwindling resources and small patches of territory. No one could be happy. Not you or anyone. I understand why you do what you do. I don’t agree, and I certainly don’t agree with you hypnotizing my grandsquid, but I understand it.”

“I wish I could have made them all that happy. I tried distracting them with my music and by getting the Zapfish we needed, but… it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. Gahh, what’s the point.”

Octavio pushed his tentacles through his now-ripped sweater and splayed them out. His football helmet was long gone thanks to the scuffle. Cuttlefish sat up. “The point is you can always do better, even if you can’t do perfect. I know I ain’t perfect. No cephalopod, is. But you know what you can do?”

“What.”

Cuttlefish eased Octavio up so that he, too, was sitting up. He graciously patted Octavio’s side as if to encourage him. “You can let them live. But not only that, you can let yourself live. If they’re happy, let them be happy! If you’re not, let yourself be sad, or try and change it if you want! People we care about are all threatened by the same thing, so if you wanna protect them, help me and help everyone keep the world safe from Salmonids. If you do…”

The captain’s voice trailed off. Octavio prompted him to keep going with a curt nod. “Well… the world is different than it used to be. We can build up so high now! I don’t know if you or any of them Octarians want it, but there might be enough room for all of us here in Inkopolis.”

Octavio, though already silent, did not respond. He couldn’t respond. Was… Cuttlefish, Captain Craig Cuttlefish himself, saying what he thought he was saying? Was it truly possible? Was this all an elaborate trick, or the truth spoken from one wise old man to another? Octavio’s heart was beating a million miles an hour at the thought.

Inkopolis… as a home for everyone. A home for Octarians to live in safety, in warmth, and in peace. That was all he had been fighting for. For one hundred years, he was fighting to give the Octarians happiness. And now, it was so much closer than he’d ever thought. All that stood between him and happiness was a horde of ravenous Salmonids threatening to take it all away.

But Octavio liked the odds.

A few tears welled up in the old octopus’ eyes. He attempted to wipe them away without old Cuttlefish knowing, but he seemed to know immediately. He smiled. “Now, now, don’t cry about it!”

“I’m not. Shut up. The spice from that Seanwich is finally catching up with me.”

“You? Getting overtaken by spice? Please! I mean– of course, that’s exactly what it is.” Cuttlefish winked at Octavio as Callie and Marie snuck their way back to the spot with the two old cephalopods.

“Phew! That was close. I’ve never signed so many autographs so fast!” Callie exclaimed.

Marie chuckled in agreement. “Yeah. You guys done here?” Callie and Marie both helped their grandfather up, and in turn, Cuttlefish eased Octavio up onto his tentacles.

“Think so! We’ve come to an understanding about the whole thing. Ain’t that right, Octavio?”

Octavio snorted. “We did.”

Both of the girls looked relieved. Though Marie rarely expressed her true feelings, she really seemed happy at the idea that the two old guys had settled the score somehow. Callie, who seemed to be the more anxious of the two, probably felt a huge weight off of her then.

“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s keep on goin’! We gotta find the other agents, remember? This is time to get everyone we know to help us out and organize against those Salmonids! Who knows how much time we got! You up for more travelin’, Octavio?” Cuttlefish asked, glancing to the octopus.

Octavio nodded. That was all the confirmation Cap’n Cuttlefish needed. He grinned and gave Octavio a hearty pat on the back and soon, the four were on their way through Inkopolis once again.


End file.
